Sandy Lowitt

Sandy Lowitt is a Visiting Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Research Fellow at Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS), a South African economic research institute focused on inclusive industrial growth where she leads the Just Transition financing research agenda. She also lectures Economics at the Gordon Institute of Business and the University of Pretoria.

Education

• Masters of Commerce in Economics from the University of the Witwatersrand

Research Interests

Her work centers on Just Transition financing mechanisms and instruments within Global South contexts, examining transaction eligibility criteria, scaling economic diversification activities, pipeline development challenges, and innovative support options. She specifically re-thinks technical assistance frameworks to integrate community participation in transition processes, addressing the unique socio-economic dimensions of climate-responsive industrial policy.

Professional Experience

• Established Gauteng Finance and Economic Affairs Department in South Africa's first democratic government (1994)
• Developed provincial trade/industrial strategies and managed multi-billion Rand infrastructure projects transitioning the province from mining to knowledge economy
• Led TIPS projects for National Department of Trade and Industry, National Treasury, President’s Office, and National Department of Science and Technology
• Currently spearheading Just Transition financing research at TIPS while lecturing at University of Pretoria institutions